Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!rutgers!ucsd!ames!oliveb!amiga!jimm
From: jimm@amiga.UUCP (Jim Mackraz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: VirusX and the like...
Message-ID: <2792@amiga.UUCP>
Date: 24 Aug 88 19:43:30 GMT
References: <5819@gryphon.CTS.COM>
Reply-To: jimm@cloyd.UUCP (Jim Mackraz)
Organization: Commodore-Amiga Inc, Los Gatos CA
Lines: 50

In article <5819@gryphon.CTS.COM> mriley@pnet02.cts.com (Mark Riley) writes:
)We're up to VirusX 1.71 now, huh?  Well, I guess that's to be expected
)since the only thing these virus killer programs do is spur on the
)virus writers.  Isn't it plain by now that this is a war that nobody
)can win?  Perhaps if the writer's of the virus killer programs stopped
)now, the virus writers would lose much of their incentive to write
)ever newer viruses that beat the latest virus killers.  I made similar
)comments to Bill Koester on BIX concerning his virus killer program
)which were quickly ignored.  It's now many months later and the
)situation seems to have taken a turn in the direction I predicted
)earlier.  Too bad.  Personally, I haven't encountered viruses or
)used the virus killer programs.  Many people I have spoken with
)haven't either.  I imagine there is some sort of correlation between
)the types of activities you use your Amiga for and whether or not
)you've encountered a virus.  If that's the case, then "education"
)would be a much better defense against viruses than a virus killer.
)(Come to think of it, wouldn't it be easy for a virus writer to
)detect the presence of a specific virus killer and perform it's
)mischieviousness if it were present?  Just a weird thot...)  In any
)case, I just thought I'd reiterate my earlier comments here on
)different ears.  -Mark-


Hey, Mark's right.  I've read about more classic viruses, which would
not be detected by anything in the present day.  You can read about
these in context of other larger computer systems.  To prevent against
them requires very large-system procedures.  You don't want them.

I agree that publicity--even be it announcement or discussion of virus
protection programs--is part of the problem.

Mark will be cheered by knowing that we have rejected the
numerous calls to "add some virus protection to AmigaDOS/Exec."

Write protect your disks, download VirusXYZ.9999 or whatever, and knock
yourselves out.  Just think of the little plastic envelope a new disk
comes in as a condom.  You never take it out, it will never be infected.

Continue to lavish praise on the creative hackers, and ignore the virus
weenies.  Perhaps they will turn to less anonymous forms of glory, like
writing public domain-source incl. Sonix players or something ;^)

	jimm
    Practice Safe Hex

-- 
	Jim Mackraz, I and I Computing	  
	amiga!jimm	BIX:jmackraz
Opinions are my own.  Comments regarding the Amiga operating system, and
all others, are not to be taken as Commodore official policy.